Online, but not like that.
Jun. 3rd, 2022 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer452I sometimes wonder if I'm strange for not really getting into social media.
Aside from DW (and formerly LJ) and Tumblr, I don't use anything else. Sure, I'll browse other places for content and whatnot, but I don't have accounts anywhere else. Mostly because it's easier to maintain without having to constantly keep track of a dozen other places, but also I just never had any desire to sign up for anywhere else unless it appeals to me, which the majority of social media doesn't. I always felt like this was kind of the norm, that while people can be online not everyone uses social media, but it seems like people are expecting you to have a Twitter account or an Instagram or something along those lines, and when you say you don't they'll be confused. I'm online but for fun, not for networking, and I prefer the anonymity of that and no, I'm not comfortable sharing with some random strangers in real life what I use because it's none of their business and yet somehow they seem to think is.
Similarly, I prefer to have control of the things I consume in regards to media. I don't use Goodreads. I don't use Letterboxd. I still use an MP3 player instead of Spotify. I prefer buying physical copies of books/CDs/DVDs. I am not a Luddite, obviously, I just don't want to be beholden to an unreliable algorithm or things that will inevitably be taken away at any given moment.
This is kind of all over the place, but yeah.
Aside from DW (and formerly LJ) and Tumblr, I don't use anything else. Sure, I'll browse other places for content and whatnot, but I don't have accounts anywhere else. Mostly because it's easier to maintain without having to constantly keep track of a dozen other places, but also I just never had any desire to sign up for anywhere else unless it appeals to me, which the majority of social media doesn't. I always felt like this was kind of the norm, that while people can be online not everyone uses social media, but it seems like people are expecting you to have a Twitter account or an Instagram or something along those lines, and when you say you don't they'll be confused. I'm online but for fun, not for networking, and I prefer the anonymity of that and no, I'm not comfortable sharing with some random strangers in real life what I use because it's none of their business and yet somehow they seem to think is.
Similarly, I prefer to have control of the things I consume in regards to media. I don't use Goodreads. I don't use Letterboxd. I still use an MP3 player instead of Spotify. I prefer buying physical copies of books/CDs/DVDs. I am not a Luddite, obviously, I just don't want to be beholden to an unreliable algorithm or things that will inevitably be taken away at any given moment.
This is kind of all over the place, but yeah.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 03:53 am (UTC)I don't think you're weird for not getting into more social media than DW/LJ and tumblr. That stuff is built to get you addicted. If you're sticking to as few as you feasibly can/only the few you want to, honestly that's a good thing, and a lot of people would be better of without twitter. It's unfortunately just been the refuge for a lot of artists who want to share their work, either for fun or work, as alternatives shut down, so a lot of folks use it, and it's been a big help to people reporting on news for countries with restrictive communication laws. Same with instagram, deviantart, artstation, etc. So if that's not something you have to worry about/you're not interested in, I think you're fine.
Discord started, so far as I'm aware, as a resource for video gamers. An alternative to Ventrilo. During the pandemic it's just been the easiest way for a lot of folks to talk overseas, particularly in groups. But I mean if you have a community elsewhere, or aren't looking for one, I don't think it's bad you don't use that either, if you don't? I only use facebook to see what my family is up to because I basically never talk to them. Same with like... peers I haven't spoken to in years.
For me I like following a lot of artists (and buying art), and twitter, insta, and tumblr are the primary ways I find them (and a couple on facebook groups). So I stick around there. But it's not weird if you don't.
For media, I just like trackers because it shows me how much I've done over the year, which makes me feel less like a slob lol I have bad memory, so it's also a good way to keep track of how I felt about something at the time I read it, rather than when my memory of it changed later on. But Goodreads is owned by Amazon, and that's enough of a reason for people to avoid it. It's also easily abused, which is another of the many reasons to avoid it. Alternatively, I use those kinds of sites like myanimelist to look for recommendations, and basically never bother with the social aspect outside reading reviews sometimes. I don't use Letterboxd, either. A friend does, but I never got into it.
I also tend to not use streaming music, film, or TV. I'm too used to media I like being taken away from me (or idk what if my Internet dies or I'm out of range of wi-fi). While streaming is convenient sometimes, I try to get a copy I control - typically physical - whenever possible, and keep back-ups as I can. I do find e-copies of things easy to use in terms of accessibility. I used to carry about big doorstopper books, and they'd destroy my hand. And I had to pick and choose what I wanted to take with me on trips, often running out of stuff to read. Now I don't. I have my whole library at my fingertips and it's not heavy to carry.
tldr; it's not bad you don't XD There's a lot of different reasons people do use different ones and even more than a couple at once. If they're being weird about you not doing it, that's on them, not you XD
no subject
Date: 2022-06-09 09:57 pm (UTC)and a lot of people would be better of without twitter.
Tell me about it. That place really created such a toxic environment, and I don't think it was like that initially, it just became that way overtime, which is unfortunate. And while I'm sure there are some good elements to the place, sadly the bad far outweigh the good at this point. It's just a cesspool and reactionary culture and doomscrolling.
I think that's been my observation with social media in general, setting aside the myriad of other issues, is that it becomes so overwhelming with everything that goes on there. It's been said that people aren't meant to take in all of this kind of information at once, and social media, depending on the platform and how you can filter things, it can be impossible to avoid the things you don't want to see so in a way you know that you should log-off it's like a trainwreck, you can't help but be enticed to doomscroll out of sheer morbid curiosity. And then it becomes stressful and overwhelming and your brain gets frazzled, and it's probably why so many people don't think before they react to things. I mean, it's great that we have the technology to know what's going on with things in the world, to be more educated and knowledgeable, but the way we tend to consume and even interact with such information isn't always the best for our, and other people's, well-being.
It's just like, it's good to have different options to choose which platform best suits your specific needs, but moderation and knowing your limits is key. And I know, for me at least, I don't think I can handle going on social media.
(Also note, I hate have social media has begun not allowing non-users to even browse without signing up. I also hate how some news sites even put articles behind a paywall, like fuck that shit.)
I also tend to not use streaming music, film, or TV. I'm too used to media I like being taken away from me (or idk what if my Internet dies or I'm out of range of wi-fi). While streaming is convenient sometimes, I try to get a copy I control - typically physical - whenever possible
Same, that's my thought process as well. The convenience is nice, but we cannot, and shouldn't, be solely relying on streaming or anything online because the Internet might not always be here, whether due to power outages or not having a strong connection or being in a place where it's restricted. That's kind of why I go, "if the Internet were to go out now, would I still have these things?" Because if not, then that's a problem. I think people truly think the Internet will always be here when that's not true. Anyone who has gone through even the smallest of power outages will know that feeling of frustration. So yeah. I want to physically own the things I have, I want that level of control instead of having companies and corporations control that for me.